Legal Advice Middle East On Track for New Initiatives

Exciting times lie ahead for Legal Advice Middle East. Since its inception, the pioneering online law portal legaladviceme.com has already helped resolve legal issues of over 1200 satisfied clients from 72 countries around the world through its network of lawyers from 9 countries across the Middle East.

For this legal tech venture that has made innovative use of information technology to make justice accessible at the click of a button, success has been very tangible. In just the first three quarters of 2017, the portal has generated more than US$ 250,000 in legal fees from new enquiries for lawyers who are subscribed to it.

Mr. Aws M. Younis, Founder and Managing Director of Abdulla Alsuwaidi Advocates & Legal Consultants, says, “Using the Legal Advice Middle East platform has been a truly amazing and awesome experience. I have been able to reach out to people who need my help the most.”

Partner at Dar Al Balagh Advocates and Legal Consultancy, Mr. Ahmed Elnaggar reckons “It is a great way to meet new clients.” He goes on to say, “I was able to acquire new clients who already paid the fees and we accomplished the contracted job."

It is hard not to recognize a gainful enterprise. Kamal Hassan, General Partner at TURN8, a Dubai-based venture fund comprised of a growth accelerator program complemented by a follow-on investment fund, has this to say about this venture:

“Legal Technology, also referred to as LegalTech, is an emerging sector worldwide and we, at TURN8, see a great opportunity to invest in one of the best LegalTech startup in the region. Legal Advice ME has the vision and the capability to standout in this space and we are committed to help them grow to be at the forefront of this space in the region.”

In a bid to expand further and take operations to the next level, Legal Advice Middle East has recently raised seed funding from TURN8.

Of course, the platform itself is one success factor. The other is the ability to use it effectively. Mr. Elnaggar understands, “Spending time on the platform pays off. I am not talking about hours. I believe 15-30 minutes daily during working days for a senior lawyer will guarantee monthly new clients.”

Commenting on how to get the most out of the portal, Mr. Younis advises, “First reach out to people who are desperately in need of such legal advice and you will see that other good things will follow. Client referrals can come from those whom you have assisted and others may just read your advice on the platform and decide to contact you. From those referrals, you get increased generated revenue and you build your profile and recognition in the legal market.”

Such remarkable numbers can only be possible when prospective clients turn to the portal to get their legal concerns addressed by the industry experts. On that front, too, the numbers speak for themselves. The website continues a 30% (month-on-month) growth in actionable enquiries during the course of the year, which came from a 20% (month-on-month) rise in traffic to the website during the same period.

Satisfied clients are the only way forward in any business. Legal Advice Middle East is checking all the boxes on that front, too. Long-time UAE resident Bejoy A. says, “Even though I am here in UAE for past 17 years and was aware of laws, the support and advice from Legal Advice Middle East was of great help and guidance for me.” Omar C. is “grateful for the service provided as legal advice (he) received was correct and (he) had the matter at hand resolved.”

It seems like mission accomplished for a company that was founded on the premise of bridging the gap between legal fraternity and those who seek legal advice but are either hesitant or unsure of how to approach the process. But this is just the tip of the iceberg for this young, enterprising and ambitious portal. Suzanna Kalendzhian, a former lawyer and the entrepreneur who founded Legal Advice Middle East, is not about to rest on her laurels. So much more is in store for the future.

One such initiative is the establishment of the Dubai chapter of Legal Hackers – a global movement of lawyers, policymakers, technologists, and academics who explore and develop creative solutions to some of the most pressing issues at the intersection of law and technology. Ms. Kalendzhian is joining hands with Ahmed Odeh, Managing Partner of MIO Law Firm for this one.

“Legal Hackers is thrilled to have innovators like the founders of Legal Advice ME as a part of our global community. I'm excited to see what they can build in the years ahead to advance access to justice in the Middle East”, says Jameson Dempsey, Co-Founder of Legal Hackers.

The Dubai chapter hopes to welcome other legal tech enthusiasts from around the region in joining the movement and growing the local Legal Hackers chapter.

On November 23^rd, 2017, a Legal Knowledge Series event for women entrepreneurs will be conducted in collaboration with Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Dubai Business Women Council.

Talking about the event, Ms. Kalendzhian reveals, “We have a lot of initiatives being discussed with government and semi-government authorities like DBWC, DubaiSME, Humdan Incubator, ADGM, Dtec and others”. She envisions that: “this could help entrepreneurs in the UAE be more aware of legal frameworks they operate in, connect them with qualified legal professionals, and ultimately be more successful.”

Later this month, Legal Advice Middle East plans to launch the Arabic version of the portal. Towards the end of the year, the platform aims to launch online a more comprehensive range of legal services. That will include enabling clients to buy and allowing providers of legal services to render some services online, through the platform.

Ms. Kalendzhian attributes the success of Legal Advice Middle East to everyone who has been involved with it in any capacity:

“I would like to thank participating lawyers who have offered their legal assistance to the clients they have connected with through the platform; seekers of legal advice who have placed their trust in and sent their enquiries to us; and last but not least, the team that has continuously developed and operated the platform”, says Ms. Kalendzhian.